It’s a wrap – finally made it back to B-R-O-O-K-LYN (the planet) and finished uploading everything from that music industry networking event in Austin, TX you might have heard about this past weekend. About damn time!

Most of the FG fam landed on Thursday just in time to unpack, get some grub (Santi was in the building along with our brother from another), and run over to DJ at the Sansa Playground. No pics, but there was a mechanical bull, among other things. Dave P and JDH were killing it at the late night pool party in the burbs afterwards, which was kind of like that scene in Almost Famous except with DJs instead of hippies – take a look. Then all of a sudden it was Friday, and armed with a digital camera from Nikon and RCRD LBL (thanks dudes) it was time to get some snaps of our own.

L.O.R.E. – Label On The Run Eating

With a gut full of TexMex it was time to play the iheartcomix/Mad Decent parking garage pool party. Water pistols! Taco stands! “Happy House”!

Philly was in the building. Also spotted LA bros Blu Jemz and Pubes and various other deejay youngsters (here’s daytime pics). Jokers of the Scene stayed until the wee hours to rep Fool’s Gold with an unannounced guest set at the garage alongside Diplo, Drop the Lime and Boy 8 Bit (pics here and more here) but I had to bounce and support the rest of the team at the Biz3 showcase at Emo’s.

(Meanwhile, Kid Sister was getting her supermarket sweep on with Blender in the Whole Foods beer aisle).

On the way to Emo’s we bumped into Wale and had to take a “future of hip-hop” picture. Don’t sleep…

Trizzy got bizzy!

Kid Sis kilt it too, opening her new set with the Monday Night Football theme (an idea I happily borrowed from Cameron Giles).

Emo’s was packed for the showcase – party people included Kidz in the Hall, M1 of dead prez, Ice Cube, Luda’s DJ Jaycee, Perry Farrell, and the homie DJ Equal (nearsighted strangers kept asking if he was A-Trak).

In the back of Emo’s, Downtown hooked up a “Pro Nails” salon and professional nail techs gave free manicures to anyone that wanted them – Pitchfork called it their favorite promotion of SXSW.

Matt Sonzala took some more pics, MySpace filmed it and there was a ton of press: Yahoo!, MTV News, Wired, NME, Chicago Sun Times, Portland Mercury, and the LA Times, who not only blogged the show but gave Kid Sis some well-deserved props in another article.

“Impervious to the hype…Kid Sister, the rising MC from Chicago, shimmied and strutted through a joyful set, firing off rhymes in tandem with her brother, J2K from the group Flosstradamus.”

We caught a few songs of the Clipse’s closing set w/ Re-Up Gang (CANOOOOONNNNNNSSSSS) and then ditched Emo’s for the Blender House, where Diplo and A-Trak’s DJ slots morphed into a late-night MAD FOOLS free-for-all (and everyone’s personal highlight of the weekend).

A-Trak x Diplo x Blaqstarr x Treasure Fingers x Laidback Luke =

You know a party ain’t a party until Pase rolls through…

…or the plug gets pulled.

Saturday started early at the Levi’s/FADER Fort. We caught up with pals while Bloody Beetroots fidget house-ed as much as humanly possible at one in the afternoon. David Banner blew minds with a live band and Mannie frick-y-Fresh, Fresh, a-fricky-Fresh on the CD-Js. Lykke Li, Spankrock and Santogold were also in top form (the between-act sets from Jokers of the Scene, LA Riots, A-Trak and yours truly didn’t hurt either, cough cough).

Finally, once all the Q&A-ing, DJing and mingling was done, it was time for our own showcase at Volume!

JOTS brought out everyone’s inner raver, ably assisted by Taran and Alex of Thunderhorse (who MURDERED it on the projections all night long).

Kid Cudi made his official SXSW debut at the Fool’s Gold show, then walked down the street to hop on stage with Wale. His cameo was dope enough for Rolling Stone to name Cudi one of 5 bands to watch from SXSW (“Cleveland MC Kid Cudi showed up during rapper Wale’s gig at Stubb’s on Saturday and just about stole the show with a killer Southern-flavored freestyle and a lot of stage presence; more proof that the Midwest is hip-hop’s most happening spot right now.”) and the LA Times (y’all are really riding with us!!!) named him a hip-hop discovery and a festival highlight.

Kid Sis and Flosstradamus were excellent as always, and Chromeo showed up to give brotherly love and rip through a set of favorites. Their pals (and classmates?!?!) Vampire Weekend looked on from the balcony – cue me and A-Trak yelping “Blaaaaaaake’s got a new faaaaace…”

A-Trak and Floss hit the decks again to keep the party going – check the crowd refusing to leave even after the lights went up! And with that, we took a bow, and it was all over. The Daily Texan called it the best showcase of SXSW. More video and pics as they trickle in (a yo!)

See you next spring…